The Arsenal scout Gilles Grimandi has admitted that Olivier Giroud's arrival at the club was due to the possible departure of Robin van Persie.

Van Persie has been strongly linked with an exit from the Emirates Stadium this summer and recently revealed that he would not be signing a new contract, with his current deal ending next year.

Giroud, 25, signed for Arsenal in June in a move thought to be worth £12m, having scored 21 goals in 36 appearances for the Ligue 1 champions Montpellier last season.

Grimandi hopes Arsène Wenger will have both Van Persie and Giroud at his disposal during the next Premier League campaign but admits that the France striker's arrival is part of a contingency plan.

"We want him to stay but there is only one year left on his contract so it's complicated. The atmosphere is good at Arsenal, he has been with us for eight years and has a real bond with the club," Grimandi told le10sport.com.

"Was Olivier Giroud signed to compensate for his departure? Yes, we worked to avoid finding ourselves in a corner. But we are doing everything we can to keep him and we want him to stay with us.

"However, if there is an exceptional offer and he wants to leave, keeping him will be tough. I would never have thought, for example, that Thiago Silva could be transferable but he was for a while. There are variables that can't be controlled."